Chapter 6: Chapter six begins with a letter from Ronald A Franz requesting the 1993 edition of Outside magazine in which McCandless’ death was published. Franz met McCandless in Salton city. McCandless hitched a ride from Franz to his camp at the edge of Ana-Borrego Desert State Park. Franz and McCandless became close. They spent a lot of time together in which Franz tried to convince McCandless to go to school and get an education. On the other hand, Chris tried to persuade Franz to drop his job and such to go out into the world and enjoy nature which he ended up doing in the end. Franz treated Chris like a son because he had lost his wife and daughter in a car accident while he was at war. After coming clean from boozing, Franz decided to adopt kids from Okinawa, which leads him to come close and get attached to Chris. Chris learned how to work with leather, so he made a cowhide belt that had his adventures inscribed on it. In this chapter Chris went to San Diego to get a job, but there weren’t any jobs, so he became a hobo as well as a train hopper. After going to jail from hopping trains, he came back to Salton City and got a ride from Franz to Carthage so that he could get a job with Wayne. Franz drove him and also gave him a machete, an arctic parka, a collapsible fishing pole and other gear for Alaska. Chapter 7: This chapter takes place in Carthage. Chris arrived in Carthage to work for Wayne so that he could make money for his adventure to Alaska. Chris worked many dirty jobs for Wayne and never once complained. He wasn’t very good with the machines when Wayne tried to teach him how to use them. Chris became close and opened up to Wayne’s girlfriend, Borah. He told her a lot about himself. He went partying and drinking with her and with other people from Carthage. It is in this chapter that we learn that Chris didn’t like to oppression and control that his father placed on him which is one of the reasons that he didn’t like his family besides for his sister Carine. We also learn that Chris was chaste. Chris found a lust for nature more than for man or woman. In this chapter, Chris meets Wayne’s mother. She and Chris got along well. They talked about books endlessly. On April 15, Chris left Carthage for Alaska. He left his journal, belt and photo album with Wayne. Something very important that occurred was that Chris cried when he was hugging Borah good bye. Chapter 8: Many people thought that Chris was dumb, a nut, and hardly unique, but Krakauer compared many people in this chapter to Chris and his adventures. The first person Krakauer discussed was the “Mayor of Hippie Cove” aka Gene Rosellini. Rosellini was a very educated man who was athletic and was an expert of the martial arts. He went into the wild to test a hypothesis of man being able to live independently of modern technology. He dined on roots, berries, and seaweed. He caught game with spears and snares, dressed in rags and endured the weather while also exercising compulsively. His hypothesis failed, so he was going to walk around the world, but before he did that, he stabbed a knife through his heart and died. Krakauer then talked about a man named Jon Waterman. Waterman had a father of modest fame who taught his kids to climb. John climbed and trained obsessively. At age sixteen, he climbed Mt. McKinley becoming the third youngest person to climb the highest peak. Waterman was a very strange person; his parents were divorced, his father abandoned him, his brother lost his leg and then disappeared, and many intimates and climbing partners were killed or committed suicide. Waterman also took a treacherous climb up Mt. Hunter’s southeast spur which had killed three teams of climbers, though he successfully climbed it. After this, his mind began to unravel. He took notes on everything that occurred. Waterman also tried to run for the local school board, promoting unrestricted sex and legal drugs. Then, after losing that, he attempted to run for presidency of the United States under a “Feed the Starve” campaign. This ended up leading to his death when he tried to climb Denali, after three tries, with only limited food and supplies. The final person that Krakauer discusses in this chapter is Carl McCunn. McCunn hired a bush pilot to drop him off at a remote lake near the Coleen River about seventy five miles away from Fort Yukon. McCunn wanted to travel here so he could take pictures of the nature. He went with five hundred rolls of film, .22 and.30-.30 caliber rifles, a shotgun, and fourteen hundred pounds of provisions. McCunn was well prepared in that regard, but he forgot to arrange for a pilot to pick him back up at the end of his adventure. McCunn made a couple huge mistakes, like using the wrong signal to flag down a plane for help and dumping most of his shells. After eating all his provisions and being close to freezing, McCunn took a rifle to his head and killed himself. All of these people relate to Chris in one way or another. Chapter 9: The person that most resembles McCandless that Krakauer talks about is discussed in this chapter. Everett Ruess received his high school diploma and then spent the rest of his life on the move. He was like Chris in that he held a passion for nature that was just as romantic as Chris. This is seen in the letters that were compared of Chris’s and Everett’s in the chapter. Both talk about the hardships they face as well as their love for their lives. Everett adopted many names on his journey such aslant Rameau and Evert Rulan to finally Nemo which is found inscribed on the walls of the Davis Gulch in two places. Everett was never found. Some think that he fell through a canyon and died while others think that he was murdered. Still, others think that he drowned or started a new life, marrying a Navajo woman. No one knows what happened to him, but Krakauer notices how similar he is to Chris. The last people Krakauer talks about in this chapter are the Papar which are morons who risked their lives to find solitude so they could quench their hunger for the spirit. They left their homeland of Greenland and took a treacherous journey to Greenland. Through this chapter, we see more people that are like Chris.
Chapter 7: This chapter takes place in Carthage. Chris arrived in Carthage to work for Wayne so that he could make money for his adventure to Alaska. Chris worked many dirty jobs for Wayne and never once complained. He wasn’t very good with the machines when Wayne tried to teach him how to use them. Chris became close and opened up to Wayne’s girlfriend, Borah. He told her a lot about himself. He went partying and drinking with her and with other people from Carthage. It is in this chapter that we learn that Chris didn’t like to oppression and control that his father placed on him which is one of the reasons that he didn’t like his family besides for his sister Carine. We also learn that Chris was chaste. Chris found a lust for nature more than for man or woman. In this chapter, Chris meets Wayne’s mother. She and Chris got along well. They talked about books endlessly. On April 15, Chris left Carthage for Alaska. He left his journal, belt and photo album with Wayne. Something very important that occurred was that Chris cried when he was hugging Borah good bye.
Chapter 8: Many people thought that Chris was dumb, a nut, and hardly unique, but Krakauer compared many people in this chapter to Chris and his adventures. The first person Krakauer discussed was the “Mayor of Hippie Cove” aka Gene Rosellini. Rosellini was a very educated man who was athletic and was an expert of the martial arts. He went into the wild to test a hypothesis of man being able to live independently of modern technology. He dined on roots, berries, and seaweed. He caught game with spears and snares, dressed in rags and endured the weather while also exercising compulsively. His hypothesis failed, so he was going to walk around the world, but before he did that, he stabbed a knife through his heart and died. Krakauer then talked about a man named Jon Waterman. Waterman had a father of modest fame who taught his kids to climb. John climbed and trained obsessively. At age sixteen, he climbed Mt. McKinley becoming the third youngest person to climb the highest peak. Waterman was a very strange person; his parents were divorced, his father abandoned him, his brother lost his leg and then disappeared, and many intimates and climbing partners were killed or committed suicide. Waterman also took a treacherous climb up Mt. Hunter’s southeast spur which had killed three teams of climbers, though he successfully climbed it. After this, his mind began to unravel. He took notes on everything that occurred. Waterman also tried to run for the local school board, promoting unrestricted sex and legal drugs. Then, after losing that, he attempted to run for presidency of the United States under a “Feed the Starve” campaign. This ended up leading to his death when he tried to climb Denali, after three tries, with only limited food and supplies. The final person that Krakauer discusses in this chapter is Carl McCunn. McCunn hired a bush pilot to drop him off at a remote lake near the Coleen River about seventy five miles away from Fort Yukon. McCunn wanted to travel here so he could take pictures of the nature. He went with five hundred rolls of film, .22 and.30-.30 caliber rifles, a shotgun, and fourteen hundred pounds of provisions. McCunn was well prepared in that regard, but he forgot to arrange for a pilot to pick him back up at the end of his adventure. McCunn made a couple huge mistakes, like using the wrong signal to flag down a plane for help and dumping most of his shells. After eating all his provisions and being close to freezing, McCunn took a rifle to his head and killed himself. All of these people relate to Chris in one way or another.
Chapter 9: The person that most resembles McCandless that Krakauer talks about is discussed in this chapter. Everett Ruess received his high school diploma and then spent the rest of his life on the move. He was like Chris in that he held a passion for nature that was just as romantic as Chris. This is seen in the letters that were compared of Chris’s and Everett’s in the chapter. Both talk about the hardships they face as well as their love for their lives. Everett adopted many names on his journey such aslant Rameau and Evert Rulan to finally Nemo which is found inscribed on the walls of the Davis Gulch in two places. Everett was never found. Some think that he fell through a canyon and died while others think that he was murdered. Still, others think that he drowned or started a new life, marrying a Navajo woman. No one knows what happened to him, but Krakauer notices how similar he is to Chris. The last people Krakauer talks about in this chapter are the Papar which are morons who risked their lives to find solitude so they could quench their hunger for the spirit. They left their homeland of Greenland and took a treacherous journey to Greenland. Through this chapter, we see more people that are like Chris.